So I will bring you all up to speed later, but our friend Mike is in town to celebrate his birthday!! We took him straight from the airport to downtown Waikiki and kept him up till 6am. Yesterday we hung out at the north shore and laughed at him while the wave destroyed him! Today we came back from work and there was a monk seal hanging out on the beach outside our apartment. Out of nowhere Mike said the quote of the day, “I don’t know why, but I really wanna call her Celeste.” After that random statement I took him up Mauna Lahilahi, and we got caught in a rainstorm. Awesome!!! So here’s to Mike’s visit. Happy Birthday Mike!!!

On Saturday Gina and I went to a waterfall with our friends called Jack Ass Ginger Falls. There was a 15 foot cliff jump into the falls pool, a rock waterslide, and a rope swing! These three attractions gave us a good hour or so of fun. We got our friend Jean Marie to get over her fear of heights by way of the rope swing, and then there was no stopping her!

It had rained on and off while we were there and when I took my first step to go back to the cars, I slipped and fell down the trail. When I stood up Gina said “Oh no! Babe, your toe is bleeding!” When I looked down, my sandal was covered in blood and mud. So, after much convincing/demanding from Gina, we went to the hospital where I got 4 stitches in my toe!! Stitches were followed up with a Mai Thai at Islands Restaurant! Great end to an eventful day!!

So Halloween!!! We went out to China Town, which is alot like Albany’s Lark Street. So you can guess Gina and I feel at home there. There was an awesome street festival where we saw a few really great bands. My favorate were All The Apparatus, and they sang pirate songs for their entire set. AWESOME!! Check them out!

Our camera broke and I can’t find any pics of Gina as a flamenco dancer but when I do I will post it for you. I was a cereal killer (bloodied-up Honey Nut Cheerios with a knife through it!). The costumes that night were amazing. My personal favorite was our friend Erin’s; a lufa. It was really good!

We also dressed up to attend our friend Gina and Marcus’ wedding in spirit. It was on Halloween in Syracuse, NY. We miss them and love them, and pray that God will bless them for the rest of their lives. Gina was our photographer at our wedding! Her website is www.ginameola.com. I suggest you check it out!

ALL THE APPARATUS!!

Kellen (Tarzan) getting lifted by Charlie

Gina & Marcus

]]>https://ginaandcharlie.wordpress.com/2009/11/10/a-happy-all-hallows-eve-was-had-by-all/feed/0ginaandcharliePhone Pix 005halloween picBlogGinaMarcus0012Breakin’ the Law! Breakin’ the Law!!https://ginaandcharlie.wordpress.com/2009/11/05/breakin-the-law-breakin-the-law/
https://ginaandcharlie.wordpress.com/2009/11/05/breakin-the-law-breakin-the-law/#commentsFri, 06 Nov 2009 01:18:28 +0000http://ginaandcharlie.wordpress.com/?p=73]]>Soooo, Debbie, Gina’s mom, came to visit, and we did a bunch of things around the island that I’m gonna get Gina to post about. But I wanted to share some pictures of our hike to Manoa Falls with Debbie and some of our friends. It was a beautiful hike on the eastern side of Oahu, where there are actual trees! Apparently there was a rock slide last January so they closed the last bit of the trail where the waterfall’s pool was. Well I wasn’t gonna let that stop me from checking out the area, and soon everyone else followed. Hope you don’t see us on America’s Most Wanted!

It’s been awhile, I know. I knew at some point I would slack off on this blog. I just didn’t think it would happen so early! Gi and I have been pretty busy lately. We moved into a new apartment. It’s in the same place just a couple floors up and a couple units over. And the view is now A-MAZING! Our last apartment actually flooded the day we moved. The toilet line was just busted. We were glad to get out since it was probably the 5th time it flooded while we were there. Anyway, I am subbing, and still working at Starbucks. The Environmental companies here are really slow so I am constantly in contact with them so they don’t forget that I want to work for them. Gina is still enjoying her class.

Okay so now that you’re updated, the next couple entries are some highlights!

“Yahweh God said, ‘It is not right that the man should be alone. I shall make him a helper’…This is why a man leaves his father and mother and becomes attached to his wife, and they become one flesh.” Gen. 2:18, 24

September 19, 2009, our friends Lincy Thomas and Sony Jacobs were united in this world under God, and their families and friends! We were told by our friends Kevin, Katie and their boy Riley that the wedding was beautiful! There were 500 people in attendence to witness their union. Though we were not able to be there, I think we made out better than any guest at their wedding, cuz their HONEYMOON WAS ON OAHU!! We got to spend an entire day with them. We felt blessed that they took a whole day out of their week to hang out with us. So after changing a flat tire in front of their hotel, then watching the end of the Bills game, we headed to the North Shore. After taking them to Waiamea Falls we went to the pipeline with a couple bottles of wine and the sunset.

So I know it’s been like 2 weeks since we last posted, and since then we had our friends Megan and Sam come to visit! It was a really fun time, and a nice piece of home. It was an excuse for us to go and explore parts of the island that we haven’t seen yet. We went to the North Shore, to the Waimea Botanical Gardens where we got to swim under a waterfall. Super awesome, but the whole time your under it you struggle to keep your eyes open. Then we went snorkeling pretty much right across the street from the Gardens at Three Tables, it’s called that because the reef breaks the water surface at three spots. WE SAW A TURTLE!!!! I got up close and personal with it, and I wish I had a camera to take a picture. We went into Honolulu, and showed them around. We also went to a luau, which was pretty cool, especially watching them try to hula. I know they did some exploring of their own, to Pearl Harbor and Chinatown. Now for the story of their visit that I love most…So I took Megan and Sam to a beach near our place. We go snorkeling, and while I’m exploring I hear shouting through my snorkeling tube. So I look up to see what’s going on and Meg and Sam are trying to get my attention. So I swim over to them, and Megan has managed to lose her mask, tube AND underwater camera to the ocean. I look down and they are all pretty close to each other, so I take a breath and get them all, then we go back to exploring. A few minutes go by and I realize that they aren’t near me so I look up and they are on the beach. So I go back to see what’s up. Apparently while they were snorkeling a wave came and took Megan’s top off!! “HAHAHA!!” was my response. They tried to get it back on with teamwork in the ocean, but had to come in to shore to get the job done. Needless to say it was pretty funny and my favorite story of their visit. So I’ve posted some pics. The one of the turtle is with Megan’s camera. Oh and the job hunt is a little slow here, I just got a negative response on a job I applied for back in July, so you can imagine my frustration. Everything is slow in Hawaii and I am having a hard time keeping that in mind. In the meantime I have started working at a local Starbucks. Not what I wanted, but it’s suplimental money, and I have to learn to be greatful for that. I am calling back a company next week that said they would call me back by last week, but she said they were really busy which is why it might take longer. It’s been 4 weeks now, and I really feel like this is exactly like the job I had back home. SO Fingers Crossed!! We love everyone, and really miss you guys!!!

It actually rained here. It sprinkles and mists, because the mountains destroy the majority of the clouds. I took a picture. I’m lame I know. And I thought I’d show off some of our friends.

Typical Visibility in Waianae

Celebrating our friend Noelle's Birthday

]]>https://ginaandcharlie.wordpress.com/2009/08/19/its-raining-in-waianae-to-the-tune-of-its-raining-on-prom-night/feed/1ginaandcharlieIMG_0164IMG_0011IMG_0096HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!https://ginaandcharlie.wordpress.com/2009/08/19/happy-anniversary/
https://ginaandcharlie.wordpress.com/2009/08/19/happy-anniversary/#commentsWed, 19 Aug 2009 23:38:32 +0000http://ginaandcharlie.wordpress.com/?p=36]]>Yes! Despite everyone who was against us, Gina and I made it to a year. It has been a year full of wonderful experiences like moving into an apartment together, and actually living together which was/is an awesome time. Then we decided to go and move half way around the world and somehow stay in our nation! Anyway I just wanted to show some pictures of my beatiful bride and my ugly mug enjoying our day. We ended up celebrating all weekend cuz monday was jam packed with things to do. And it was Gina’s first time getting to walk around Honolulu and Waikiki.

Park in Ala Moana

My Baby in a Waikiki sunset

Dinner at the Yard House - 110 beers on tap, and excellent food!

Sunset on our Anniversary on our beach

]]>https://ginaandcharlie.wordpress.com/2009/08/19/happy-anniversary/feed/2ginaandcharlieIMG_0108IMG_0134IMG_0113IMG_0158When Creation Informs You You’re Out of Shape and Gina’s First Day of Schoolhttps://ginaandcharlie.wordpress.com/2009/08/06/when-creation-informs-you-youre-out-of-shape-and-ginas-first-day-of-school/
https://ginaandcharlie.wordpress.com/2009/08/06/when-creation-informs-you-youre-out-of-shape-and-ginas-first-day-of-school/#commentsFri, 07 Aug 2009 01:13:05 +0000http://ginaandcharlie.wordpress.com/?p=21]]>So Friday was Gina’s first day of school, and to pass the time I decided to climb a mountain. Or, to at least try as it turns out. I am out of shape. I had these visions of granduer to climb part of what is left of Wai’anae Volcano’s Caldera. Quick geology lesson: The Wai’anae Range is what remains of the older of the two volcanoes that make up O’ahu. The western part of the Wai’anae Volcano no longer exists due to a mass wasting event that I can’t seem to find the date for. The volcano itself is approximately 3 million years old. So most of my hiking takes place within the eroded caldera of the Wai’anae volcano, called the Lualualei Caldera.

I was able to make it half way to the first peak of the Kamaile’unu Ridge which separates the Makaha and Wai’anae Valleys. On Tuesday my friends Kellen and Andrew joined me and we made it almost all the way to the highest peak we think. This climb is more of a straight up rock climb than a leisurely hike, to our defense. The next day we were hurtin’. We all forgot our cameras, which sucked because we came across a pack of about 40 wild goats! That we could hear for the rest of the hike.

Back to Friday…it was Gina’s First Day of SCHOOL!! So we have pictures of that too. Yeah Gina making money while I goof off. I am looking for a job but it seems to be taking awhile.

So I’m an idiot and accidentally deleted the text from our first post….oops! Anyway, Gina and I went on a hike last week I think it was and I wanted to show you all the pictures. It was pretty funny because the whole way up the wind kept picking up and so Gina was not a fan. Granted there were almost complete drop offs on either side of the ridge we climbed. It was beautiful!

Yes, Charlie, it was beautiful. As I crawled (on all fours) over the terrain that was approx. six inches wide I was able to catch a glorious glimpse of the ocean…that was a direct 200ft drop. Did we mention the wind whipping past us and the fact that I was in wet Tivas? Oh yeah, and most of it was vertical. I am only smiling in the photo because I made it up there alive. As charlie gushes about the volcanic rocks, I pray that I will live (all limbs in tact) to teach another day.